Russian federal investigators say they have detained three men from Central Asia in connection with the murder of a high-ranking police officer and five of his family members.

Russia's Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said on May 1 that the suspects, whose identities were not disclosed, will be officially charged with murder and robbery within the coming days.

Russian media reports have said that the bodies of the deputy chief of staff of the Samara region's Interior Department, Andrei Gosht, and his relatives were discovered at their home in Syzran on April 24, about 1,000 kilometers southeast of Moscow.

Authorities said they appear to have been killed by blunt force blows to their heads.

Reports said Gosht's 7-year-old niece was the only relative who survived.